RTÉ (Dublin, Ireland) 28 August 06 Lethal snake kept at secret location

A highly lethal nine-inch snake found in a box of tiles in Co Kerry is being kept at a secret location in Tralee until a decision on its future is made.

The horn-nosed viper, which is highly poisonous, was found in a box of house tiles imported from Greece.

The discovery was made by workers at a building site in Ballyduff in Co Cork as they were about to lay tiles in a new house.

The snake, whose venom can kill within two hours, was curled up in the box and although they didn't realise it was poisonous they had the presence of mind to move it to an empty box and call the local branch of SPCA, according to Chief Inspector Harry McDaid.

The snake will be kept undercover until it is moved to Dublin later in the week where it is to be examined by a team at Dublin Zoo.

Mr McDaid said that in his 25 years with the SPCA, this was the first horn nosed viper he had ever seen and it gave them all 'the shock of the century'.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0828/snake.html



IRELAND.COM (Ireland) 26 August 06 Deadly horn-nosed viper slips into Ireland under cover

A nine-inch snake described as "highly lethal" by the Kerry branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has been found in a box of house tiles imported from Greece. Olivia Kelly reports

The discovery was made on Thursday by workers at a building site in Ballyduff, Co Kerry. The snake, a horn-nosed viper, is highly poisonous and its venom can kill within two hours.

Workers were about to lay tiles in a new house when they discovered the snake curled up at the top of the box. Although they were not aware it was poisonous, they removed it to an empty box using sticks and immediately contacted the local SPCA.

Kerry SPCA chief inspector Harry McDaid, who attended the scene, said it was unlikely any of the workers would have survived had they been bitten.

"If the snake bit any of the men," he said, "they would have had about two hours to get to hospital to get the antidote, but it is doubtful that any of the hospitals nearby would have the antidote because there are none of these snakes in Ireland. So I'm certain it would have been fatal."

The horn-nosed viper, which can grow up to three feet and has a distinctive horn on its head, is native to Greece, Romania and some Balkan states. It is a protected species and so rare that Mr McDaid had to call in a herpetologist - a reptile expert - to confirm the find before the snake could be removed.

"He gave us the shock of the century when he told us. In my 25 years with the SPCA, this is the first horn-nosed viper I have seen, and I think it's the first one recorded in the history of our organisation."

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/8766287?view=Eircomnet

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